Integration

If you've gotten caught up in the need for certain personality restrictions in certain groups, you may have wondered what would happen if those disparate groups in your life ever met.

Today's class is going focus on the idea of integration. We will practice asana and pranayama. Integration in asana helps to prevent injury, as we will practice integrating bones into joints and integrating the function of muscle groups so that effort is spread throughout the body, preventing tension from cropping up in any one particular area.

As we integrate our body mechanics to the flow of our breath we integrate ourselves into the moment. There are so many phrases used to impart the idea of being here now. It may seem like a logically sound idea, but until we start to experience little episodes of presentness, the concept stays an intellectual exercise. We can only ever breath now. If we can keep our attention on the breath, we can have our whole being in the present, instead of our bodys now and our minds before or after.

As we practice keeping our attention on the breath and body, we will have less and less room for the demands of the outside world. Our priorities will shift from making sure everyone around us thinks highly of us to noticing how we react to the outside world. This knowledge can lead us to the ability to choose to behave in a way that is reflective of our authentic Self, integrating out external personas with our internal truth. Then, we will find peace.

Samaskara

It has been shown that the neural pathways you utilize repeatedly are strengthened, and you are much more likely to use those same pathways again. In other words, we are likely to be stuck in ruts, by right of our very biology. A samskara is a pattern of thought and behavior in which we are stuck. In order to overcome habits we must be diligent and pay attention. As we notice those out-moded ways of thinking or being we can choose differently. It is difficult at first. But, it's a positive feedback loop. The more you choose thoughts and actions that lead you toward growth, the easier it'll be and the more likely you'll be to choose that way in the future.
In order to be the most authentic version of yourself, you must become aware and break free from your current programing.

Jai Ma!

Jai Ma!

When I say mother what's the first word that comes to mind? Our mothers are such a huge influence on us, it's hard to think objectively on the subject. It's always an upsetting day (to say the least) when we discover our mothers are in fact human and perfectly capable of all the nasty stuff everyone else is capable of. She is our first love and that is a love filled with all kinds of baggage, even if it's unconditional as well.

Mother's day is upon us and this week's classes will be a celebration of Ma. That idealized version of the word that everyone has an internalized form of. It may be your birth mother, it may be your grandmother, aunt, adoptive mother, or other person. Or it may be a saint, a goddess, or mother nature for whom you celebrate. 

Regardless, the word mother has a connotation for us all. If we choose to disregard the more negative aspects of human nature, one could say the list of qualities of mothers would look something like this: Nurture, balance, foundation/ground, challenge, determination, perseverance, dedication, playful, sacrifice. 

Mothers are about growth. Growth is not something that happens without pain. A good mother helps you to make sense of the pain. As you learn from it, you grow. Today pick a mom to celebrate. Think of the things she's done for you and offer your work to her. Let her inspire you in your practice to care for yourself and learn something. Embody a quality you admire about her. Then go buy her something nice. ;)

Contentment

The final niyama is santosha. It is contentment. We've gone over the niyamas in no particular order, but it occurs to me that practice of all the niyamas could lead to contentment. Svadyaya (self study) leads to personal understanding. As you understand your motivations better you become more content. You realize you don't have to continue doing things that make you emotionally extreme. As you practice tapas (effort; discipline) you become more driven. You achieve what you want out of life and that certainly leads to contentment. Practicing surrender (ishvara pranidana) can lead to contentment. I like the serenity prayer as an example of this idea: god grant me the strength to change the things I can, to accept the things I can't, and the wisdom to know the difference. Practicing saucha (purity) can help you eliminate those influences that keep you stuck in negative thought patterns. It can lead you to choose healthy. When you're healthier and have less pain, you can be content.

The direct practice of contentment (santosha) has more to do with how you feel about what you have or don't have. This is related to acceptance but isn't exactly the same. Acceptance implies a passivity. Contentment implies some action. One can choose to be content. This could involve acceptance of a situation you know you can't change or it could mean working for something you know you will achieve and being patient with the process.

Contentment also lies in the cessation of comparison. Our society is fraught with comparisons. Comparisons lead to judgement. Judgement leads to negative feelings, either of yourself or someone else. This meaning of judgement should not be confused with the idea of discernment. In order to live in the world we must take in information, digest it and come to a decision. Looking at the information with a discerning mind will lead you to a decision that works best for you. Looking at the information with a judgmental mind will lead to feelings of separateness. They are doing A. I am doing B. Judgement implies one of us is wrong. Discernment allows us to notice the differing information and see that B is right for me, just as A is right for them. Neither party is wrong. This leads to a peaceful mind. Which leads to contentment.

Pratyahara (withdrawl of the senses) helps to shatter the illusion of our boundaries. As we go inside we discover that which is inside is also all around us. Contentment is knowing we are all made of the same stuff. Contentment is all about perspective. Contentment is living your life without fear.